Apparatus for feeding fuel cables to furnaces



March 23, 1948. s. ROGOW 2,438,375-

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL CABLES TO FURNACES Filed March 29, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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l N V EN TOR. SYDNEY Roq'aw 'ZW H' ATTORNEY March 23, 1:948. s, oaow 2,438,375

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL CABLES TO FURNACES Filed March 29} 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Illllirrlll: l

mmvrozz a SYDNEY Roaow Arm? EY Patented Mar. 23., 1948 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL CABLES TO FURNACES Sydney Rogow, New York, N. Y.

Application March 29, 1945, Serial No. 585,517

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to fuel and particularly to fuel in the form of a fuel cable.

At the present time a large amount of low grade fuel, such as coal dust or fines, is left at the mines and Wasted since its fuel value does not warrant the expense of handling and transportation.

This invention has for its salient object to convert such fuel into a form in which it can be easily and economically handled, transported and used.

facilitate its use in automatic stoking and reduce to a minimum the mechanism required for such use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and economical method of forming and using the fuel cable.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specification taken in connection with the drawings which form a part of this application, and in which Fig. 1 is an elevational view, somewhat diagrammatic and partly in section, showing a fuel cable constructed in accordance with the invention and also one form of apparatus adapted for storing and feeding such a cable;

Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating one form of fuel cable embodying the invention;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of the cable shown in Fig. 2 and taken substantially'on line 3--3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is an edge or side elevation of the cable shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective elevation illustrating another form of fuel cable embodying the invention;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating a further embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a plan view illustrating another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional elevation 2. illustrating a still further form of the invention;

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional elevation taken substantially on line 99 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 10 is an elevational view illustrating a further embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional elevation taken substantially on line ll--H of Fig. 10, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 12 is an elevational 'view illustrating another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 13 is a transverse sectional elevation taken substantially on line I3-l3 of Fig. 12, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 14. is an elevational view illustrating another embodiment of the invention; and I Fig. 15 is a transverse sectional elevation taken substantially on line l5i5 of Fig. 14, looking in the direction of the arrows.

As illustrated, the fuel cable can be manufactured in a number of different ways. The fuel is first crushed or pulverized and thereafter in most embodiments of the invention a binder, such as asphalt, coal tar, or any other suitable c0mbustible binder material, is mixed with the fuel particles and the fuel is compressed at a reason-- ably high temperature in the presence of steam to enable the natural oils present in the fuel to act as binding agents, thus reducing to a minimum the quantity of the additional binder required.

As a result of this processing the mixture of fuel particles and binder may be formed into briquettes of the desired shape, which can be perforated and fiexib-ly connected together by stringing the briquettes on a cord or cable which may be formed of wire or non-combustible material or of combustible material, such as rope or cord.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 there are shown briquettes 20 which are perforated, as shown at 2i, and are. strung in end to end relation on cables 22 which, as above stated, may be wire, rope or any other desired material. The briquettes are oppositely beveled at the ends, as shown at 23, in order to facilitate the winding of the cable on the drum and to promote the flexibility of the fuel cable.

'This form of the invention could be formed by molding or forming the fuel cable on the flexible reinforcing members 22 and then dividing the fuel into sections as shown.

In Fig. 5 the briquettes 25 are flexibly connected by staples 26 and. in Fig. 6 the briquettes of suitable material, such as paper.

21 are connected to a wire or cord 28 by means of staples 29.

In Fig. '7 the briquettes 30 are secured by staples 3| to a flexible band 32 which may be. formed of fabric or, if desired,- of wire mesh.

The cable may also be formed by enclosing the any suitable material, such as paper, Cellophane or like material. These casings or envelopes may have incorporated therein fibrous material togive added tensile strength and the envelopes are connected together, as shown at 35, and are strung on a core which may be formed of cord or wire 31.,

.- Another embodimentof the invention is shown I fuel particles in envelopes or casings 35, as shown v in Fig. 8, and the envelopes may be formedof in Fig. 10 in which the combustible material 40 I encasing the fuel particles in envelopes or in a .spiral sheath, the fuel cable may be formed by passing the mixture of fuel particles and binder through rolls or suitable presses or bymeans of.

an extrusion process, forming a flexible fuel cable from the mixture. This embodiment of the invention is illustrated particularly in Figs. 12 and 13. In Fig. 12 the cable is shown at 45 and --as illustrated'a core wire or cord 46 extends through the fuel cable 45 and provides the neces sary tensile strength.

. Still a further form of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 14 and 15 in which a wire mesh tubing 50 is shown, this tubing enclosing the fuel material in the form of lumps 5l. A cord or wire a 52 is connected to the tubing 50 by staples 53.

With the form of the invention illustrated par- Y burned in fireplaces. Furthermore, fuel cables of ticularly in Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive-the outer sur- I face of the fuel cable may be coated with a rapid drying material, such as tar, asphalt, varnish,

shellac, or other suitable material, to provide a wear-resistant skin. The surface may also be. treated, if desired, with oil or calciumchloride to reduce to a minimum the formation of dust.

After manufacture the fuel cable'is preferably wound on a drum, such as the drum 6!! shown in Fig. 1, and; the drums will be shipped to the retail dealer or industrial plant, as the case may be. The dealer will deliver the fuel by unreeling' from-the drum and reeling on a smaller reel or drum of the consumer the'desired length of cable, in'a manner similar to the delivery of oil to the fuel tank of'the consumer.

The fuel cable constructed lnthe manner above described greatly simplifies the automatic feeding of fuel to a furnace since very simple mechanism for this purpose is required. In Fig. 1

- there is illustrated somewhat diagrammatically one form of apparatus that-may be utilized. In

this figure the fuel drum Gliis mounted adjacent chamber of the furnace or heater.

bustible materiaLas' the tensile cable, the entire fuel cable will be consumed in the furnace. However, if a wire cord is used and this cord is formed of suitable heat resistant. material, the wire is led from the furnace between guide rolls "and H and is wound on a reel 12 which is connected by suitable belts 13' and I4 and idler pulleys 15 through the motor M.

If the combustible material, such as shown in Figs. 8 to 11 and consisting of fuel particles with very little or no binderis enclosed in the casing or sheath, the casing or sheath will burn upon entrance to the combustion chamber of the furnace and release thefuell particles. If desired, the feed rolls which feed the fuel cable into the furnace maybe so formed as to crush or break the envelope or sheath, thus releasing a stream of fuel upon its entry into the combustion chamber.

is not confined to furnaces or heaters but that the cables may be used in stoves or the cable may be broken or cut into convenient'lengths and From the foregoing specification it will be clear I that by this invention fuel or combustible material is processed into such form that material which is now unusable because of the expense of handling and transporting can be utilized and, furthermore, the transportatiomdeliyery and use are facilitated and simplified. Moreover, the .problem of automatic stoking requires practically no change in the construction-of the furnace or heater, the fuel cable being fed by feed rolls into the furnace.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been particularly shown and described, it will be understood that the invention iscapable of modification and that changes in the arrangement and in the constuction of the various cooperating parts may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressed in the following claim.

whatIclaim'isi I v In fuel burning apparatus of the character described, a furnace structure having a combustion chamber, a drum carrying a fuel cable atone side drum is driven by a belt 68 from a motor M and the lower feed roll-52 isalso driven from this motor by a belt 51.

If the fuel cable has a cord or rope of coma non-combustible strand, a rewind roll at the opposite side 'of the furnace to receive thereon the non-combustible strand, a set of guide rolls for directingthe cable into the combustion chamber, a set of guide rolls for directing the strand onto the rewind roll with the fuel cable consumed during passage through the combustion chamber and a motor drive for the drum and rewind roll. SYDNEY R OGOW.

. REFERENCES crrEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent: I

STATES na'rrrrrrs Number Name Date 242,741 I Banks June 14, 1881 660,863 'Low Oct. 30, 1900 i 4 1,193,070 Roberts' Aug. 1, 1916 1,194,333 Foreman Aug. 8, 1916 Day Sept. 30, 1924 It will be evident that the use of fuel cables of the furnace, said fuel cable being carried by 

